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"Meeting customers is actually really cool," Ford said. "And I meet a lot of cool people that do a lot of cool things."

With clear glass walls and a bright blue carpet, the branch is near BOCES' entrance, where an indoor garden was previously located. It's big enough for two desks, where a student and a branch manager are stationed.

It opened in September after about a year of planning and construction.

"(They thought) it would be great to expand to BOCES, because it's a big entity, obviously, within our community," Mullins said. "And we have a group of students who are always looking for work experience and work placements, and to increase job skills."

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Alex James Ford, 17, of Port Crane, is employed at the new Visions Federal Credit Union branch office at Broome-Tioga BOCES main campus in Binghamton.(Photo: Maggie Gilroy / Staff photo)

Mullins estimates that about 1,500 students enter and exit the campus throughout the day, not counting staff of between 300 to 400.

The BOCES branch marks Visions' 50th branch and is open Wednesday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

In addition to earning class credit, students earn a paycheck for their work at Visions. If the students work the entire year and choose to attend college, they will be eligible for a $250 scholarship for each year worked at the branch.

After graduating, students will be eligible to apply to work at Visions full time or just in the summers.

"They are paid employees of Visions, and we are very proud of that," Mullins said.

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The new branch office of Visions Federal Credit Union, inside Broome-Tioga BOCES main campus in Binghamton, is staffed with students as well as Visions employees.(Photo: Maggie Gilroy / Staff photo)

Like any job, students applied by submitting a job application and enduring an interview process. During the summer, students took a training class and were mentored by a Visions employee at a local branch.

"It was a lot to learn, but it was a very good experience," Ford said.

Ford worked at the JC Pavilion branch on Pavilion Road in Johnson City, and began working at the BOCES branch two weeks after school began.

"The mentor stage was actually really comfortable, because then I know I'm not messing up, and I have somebody watching over my shoulder and everything," Ford said. "And the whole experience was actually a very good learning experience."

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Alex James Ford, 17, of Port Crane, is a student worker at the new Visions Federal Credit Union branch office at Broome-Tioga BOCES main campus in Binghamton.(Photo: Maggie Gilroy / Staff photo)

In conjunction with the branch, business teacher Suzanne Messina teaches a course that gives the students high school credit and college credit through BOCES' Fast Forward program with SUNY Broome Community College.

In the course, Messina teaches topics including business etiquette, behavior in the workplace, teamwork, employee expectations, cellphone usage, social media and confidentiality.

"It's a really in-depth course," she said.

By the end of the course, students will have generated an electronic portfolio containing a résumé, examples of their work and other materials for future employers.

"We did this because of financial literacy," Mullins said. "We found that our high school kids who go off to college, they don't know a lot about that. So with the programs within the school and with Visions' assistance, it's a win-win for everyone."

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A new branch office of the Visions Federal Credit Union opened on the main campus of Broom-Tioga BOCES in Binghamton in September.(Photo: Maggie Gilroy / Staff photo)

BOCES is not Visions' first school program. Union-Endicott High School, Harpursville Jr. Sr. High School and Windsor High School each have Visions branches.

"The benefit is when they apply for college they put that on their resume, that they've worked at a financial institution," said Visions Branch Manager Jim Dobrzynski. "Because we find that a lot of our interns, they're looking to go into a business field in college, so this is a win-win."

This year, Visions added Broome-Tioga BOCES and the Maine-Endwell Central School District.

And in October, a new branch will open in Vestal Central School District.

"It fits into our overall mission here at Broome-Tioga BOCES about training kids to enter the workforce," Mullins said. "So, that's what we do here at Broome-Tioga BOCES, whether it's working in the Visions branch or welding shop or carpentry or any type of other activities that we do."

Aside from providing hands-on skills, the branch has practical benefits as well.

"A lot of our students who work now can deposit their paychecks at school, so it's very convenient for them," Messina said. "The other day I forgot my lunch and I didn't have any money, and I could come and get money out of my account."

Ford hopes to score a job with Visions over the summer before entering college to become an electrician.

"I want to actually have this background, and I want to continue this further in my life than I am right now," he said.

"In the Classroom" is a recurring series covering the creative and innovative ways local students are educated. Do you know of a teacher who goes beyond the textbook to teach their students and capture their attention? Shoot reporter Maggie Gilroy an email at mgilroy@gannett.com or give me a call at 607-348-5142.